KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 ― It was New Year’s Day and the group of children heading to the playground were looking forward to spending the last day of the year-end school holidays with each other.
Till they stumbled on to the gruesome sight of several dead cats near Block 9 of the Sri Kenangan Condominium in Wangsa Maju.
The carcasses did not bear any signs of injuries or attacks. They just lay there motionless, frothing at the mouth… and traces of vomit on the ground.
The children ran to alert the other residents who, while shocked and saddened, were not actually surprised, at this grisly discovery of several dead cats and kittens within a 10-metre radius.
After all, this “cold-blooded murder” of cats was not the first in the condominium. Up to 19 cats have been found in similar fashion in the past few months, leading some residents to suspect a serial killer is behind the killings.
One worker in the condominium said there was no doubt this was a deliberate act. “It was obvious they had died an unnatural death.
“It was horrible having to recover the cats but we finally buried them, five cats and three birds here and two more elsewhere,” he said pointing to the small mound where the animals found on Monday were buried.
‘Killer among us’
Residents at the condominium which is surrounded by rolling hills said they were deeply worried that a cold-blooded killer, armed with an unknown poison, was living among them.
They told Malay Mail that living so close to such an individual has left them feeling both jittery and angry.
“I cannot believe that someone would go through the trouble of planning and carrying out such an inhumane act,” said Adibah Zainualdin.
“Not only is the culprit someone who does not care about animals... he or she clearly is not concerned if a child or other animals are affected by the poison.”
Adibah, 58, said there has never been such an incident in the 20 years she has stayed at the condominium.
“I am positive this was not some disease or animal attack. They have been killed. The cats died in batches and there was no sign they were sick. It happened overnight.”
Another resident Alya Yazmin Hasnan, 22, said the victims were mostly strays which roamed the area.
“These were strays looking for food. There is no issue of cleanliness either, we clean up after them and ensure the area is well kept,” she said pointing to the neat pathways snaking through the whole compound.
Asmah Ismail, 52, said several birds had also been found dead, a troubling sign of indiscriminate poisoning.
“I do not know if any are endangered or protected but the fact that someone has left poison with the intent of causing harm is alarming,” she said.
“This is not the way to do things. If the cats were really a trouble to anyone, they should have discussed it with us. Taking things into their own hands is irresponsible and dangerous.”
Others like Sharifah Hazlina, 56, urged whoever was responsible to own up to the crime to put the minds of everyone at ease.
“Today it is cats and what if tomorrow it is people? Whoever did it better come forward and explain their actions before the authorities close in on them. It is going to be much worse if that happens.”
There are still cats roaming the condominium, watching with curious eyes and darting about the 122-unit low rise buildings, built in two blocks.
As for suspects, some residents think it might be the person who has a “garden orchard” in the condominium. They think he may have put out the poison to stop monkeys living in the jungle behind the condominium.
Rice, suspected as the means of delivering the poison, could be seen scattered on the steps and plants leading to the clearing and a section of the condominiums fence had been cut to make a gate, which was locked with a chain.
Nor Hatiah Abdul Kadir, 49, said she suspected the rice as it was likely to have been eaten by the dead birds. “Birds do not eat cat food pellets which we feed the cats. The authorities must also check if any wildlife such as the monkeys in the area have died… we have not seen many of them recently.”
Poisoning not uncommon
On Friday, several people from the Department of Veterinary Services came to collect evidence from the crime scene and exhume the carcasses of two cats for analysis.
One member of the team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said such cases happened “off and on” and that it was often difficult to catch the culprit even when poisoning is confirmed.
“We need to identify the substance used and also rule out this incident as an outbreak,” he said as others dug up the carcasses which had been wrapped in plastic bags and placed in a shallow grave.
“These are the newest and will give us the best chance of any lead, but bear in mind they have been dead for three days and have started to decompose.”
Not all residents are cat lovers
Not everyone living in the condominium feel upset about the cat killings; some residents explained they have had enough of the cats which they describe as a nuisance.
They, however, did not wish to be identified for fear of being connected to the cat murderer, but said the cat faeces and animals scurrying around had driven some residents “up the wall.”
One said it was unfortunate that the cats appear to have been poisoned but was adamant that “something” needed to be done about them.
“It is wrong to poison them, if that is what happened. But the cats are a nuisance… they dirty the place. Maybe not the ones kept as pets, but the strays are definitely a problem,” he said.
“I hope the authorities will come and do the necessary as the stray cats are definitely causing tension and conflict among those living here. It is close proximity and the animals have no place here.”
Another resident said she hoped the deaths would discourage the condominium’s residents from feeding the cats and attracting more strays.
“Too bad the cats died. I hope we will not have any more coming here because they sleep under the cars and I have to check before I move my car.
“I do not want to be cruel but I have complained about this issue but the cats are still here. Hopefully this puts an end to it,” she said.
‘Cat welfare not our responsibility’
The residents’ association committee members said they were concerned about the killings but added that their hands were tied when it came to implementing a solution.
A circular sent via email to residents warned them to keep pet cats at home and to stop feeding strays as this could lead to their being accused of poisoning the cats.
“We are being as sensitive and as accommodating as possible to all our residents but the welfare of these stray cats is not our responsibility.
“As an interim measure, we have instructed all residents to keep their own cats in their homes to protect them, until the authorities complete their investigation,” said residents’ association president Abdul Jalil Ibrahim.
The 62-year old who has been a resident since 1993 said the “cat problem” was constantly raised during meetings but the various measures proposed could not be implemented.
“We formulated an action plan to rid the condominium of stray cats without resorting to this kind of action but due to the concerns of animal lovers here, we have been deliberately slow and careful with our planning and have yet to implement this plan of action.”
“The problem has clearly driven some people to a boiling point but I appeal to all residents to remain calm while this situation is being resolved,” he added.
Association secretary Ong Hai Lim, 62, said in all discussions to deal with the problem, the solution of outright killing the cats was never considered.
“None of us endorse the actions taken by whoever decided to do this. We never once considered killing the cats. That was never suggested by anyone and I am as shocked as everyone else.”
